Get Ellen

Organized labor, trial lawyers and progressive activists have put Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher (left) at the top of a public enemy list and promised to take "serious action" against the California lawmaker. A new group called "They Work for Us" produced the list of alleged progressive traitors and corporate lackeys who need to be punished. They promise to kick some Democratic butt if other elected officials veer too moderate or conservative.

"We're not only going to name names, we're going to take action. Serious action. We'll be communicating directly with constituents through direct mail, e-mail, the media, the blogosphere and netroots." The group, which also has a fundraising PAC, promised that, "No vote will be overlooked or unpunished, and no bad vote will pass without the question being raised: Does this Member deserve to be reelected?  And, even more than that, offending Members can expect not only bad publicity back home, but also primary challengers--well-funded, well-organized, well-prepared primary challengers."

The group includes organized labor strategist Steve Rosenthal; Anna Burger, the secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union; Eli Pariser, the executive director of MoveOn.org Political Action; and Linda Lipsen, a senior vice president at the American Association for Justice, formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association. "Our PAC will encourage Democrats to act like Democrats--and if they don't--they better get out of the way," Rosenthal, one of the coalition's main organizers, told the Associated Press.

This is part of an orchestrated effort to get Tauscher and steer Democrats back to the anti-globalization, Wal-Mart-bashing, consumer-oriented, pro-union "populism" that some have abandoned. Democratic strategist Katie Merrill, Tauscher's former campaign manager, says they blindly ignore her strong votes for liberal causes. Of course, they hate that Tauscher met with President Bush, who patted her on the arm. But the real issue, she says, is economic policy.

"The netroots is attempting to fracture the Democratic party based on the false dichotomy between what they call 'economic populism' and 'Rubinomics.' In their minds, all adherents to 'Rubinomics' are false Dems, collaborators with the Right, who must be removed. Any Dem who has shown support for the 'disastrous' Rubin-driven economic policies of the Clinton administration must be defeated (because, you know, a budget surplus, paying down the debt, millions of new jobs, low unemployment and an increase in the median wage didn’t represent economic populism at all)."

(Photo: Ron Edmonds / AP)